Ratchet and Clank is a franchise that has been around for almost two decades now. The series has built itself on fun gameplay and its comedic takes, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart will be only the latest in a long line of games. Because of how long the series has been around, it has benefited from some rather creative marketing techniques. Some of the most notable are the ones that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart should copy for itself: commercials that show how the game’s weapons would work in the real world.

For a long time, the weapons in Ratchet and Clank have either been shown off or displayed in real-world circumstances through a pseudo-home video format. The original three games did this for the comedy more than anything and it resulted in funny commercials that also showed off gameplay. Weapons like the Sheepinator and Decoy Glove were used for these comedic, and sometimes alarming, marketing campaigns to great effect. The actions in the old Ratchet and Clank commercials were a creative and entertaining way to promote the adventures of the titular Lombax and robot team.

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The commercials were exciting to watch as a kid and one of the negative side effects of the current approach is losing the creative ways games used to be advertised. Most games that are below a Mature rating should consider using some older marketing tricks to keep themselves exciting for younger fans, but Ratchet and Clank in particular should revisit its roots.

A weapon like the Topiary Sprinkler would be great to show off in a commercial where a bunch of people turn a car into a hedge. Other guns could be used for wanton comedic destruction or just generally humorous scenarios. While the game may not want to show off all it has to offer before launching, any weapons that return in Rift Apart could be shown off as an incentive to older fans. A tactic like this could bring a returning base of players and also allow the series to shine in a whole new light.

The first four Ratchet and Clank games all got some kind of live-action trailer, but it is the ones for Ratchet and Clank, Going Commando, and Up Your Arsenal that seem to follow the home video formula. While some of these commercials may not have aged well, there are a lot of elements from them that could be updated for the present. Combined with the graphics of Rift Apart, there is a great opportunity for a virtual and live-action format to be used.

Commercials that go this route could also benefit from the increasing popularity of the new character Rivet. Even though the past commercials were popular, a new protagonist in a long-established series causes a lot of buzz. Using Rivet as a stand-in for the real-world people from the classic commercials could generate some extra hype and keep up the curiosity that she has already created.

Using her as a fourth wall break is not unheard of either, and it is a technique that has grown a lot in pop culture over the years. A modified commercial that includes Ratchet and Rivet testing a new weapon could be a great spin that lets the game’s new character and graphics shine. A version that mixes reality and animation could also let the absurdity of Ratchet and Clank loose, while taking advantage of the aesthetic the original ad campaign provided. One great example would be the surreal ads for Ratchet: Deadlocked.

If the new weapons were worked in how others were in the past or the graphical changes highlighted Rift Apart’s ad campaign could be unique and impressive. So far, Rift Apart’s ads while focused on the game have not always felt as exciting as those of previous Ratchet and Clank titles. Though the game will likely perform exceptionally well, upping the media campaign could still be beneficial and a nice little treat for older fans.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart releases on June 11, 2021, exclusively for PS5.

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